Romans Cutaway (short story)

Romans Cutaway

Key crew

Writer:

David A. McIntee

Release details

Part of:

More Short Trips

Release date:

1 March 1999

*Short Trips* short stories
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Romans Cutaway was the twelfth short story in the Short Trips anthology More Short Trips. It was written by David A. McIntee. It featured the First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright and Vicki. Cutaway partly filled the narrative gap present in the television story The Romans.

Summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

Ian is dreaming of a car crash, with Barbara as the victim. When he wakes up, he finds himself in the TARDIS, which has materialised at an angle near the bottom of a ravine. The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki are all right except for minor injuries.

The readings suggest they are on Earth. Ian climbs out of the TARDIS, and guides a slender tree trunk through the door of the TARDIS for the others to climb out. They need to right the TARDIS, but it will be difficult. The Doctor and Vicki go for help while Barbara and Ian try to move the TARDIS.

The Doctor and Vicki come across a Roman villa, and realise they are near Rome. As they approach the villa, they see blood on the ground. Inside the villa, they meet Lucius, the caretaker of the villa, who has been attacked by a lion and is fatally wounded. Vicki and the Doctor try to make him as comfortable as possible, and their kindness allows him to trust them. He extracts from them a promise to watch the villa for him until his master returns from a campaign in Gaul. He dies.

As Barbara and Ian work on the TARDIS, a lion approaches. At first it focuses on Barbara, but Ian distracts it and it comes after him. After some dodging, Ian manages to climb up a ledge and lets a boulder drop on the lion, killing it. He is upset over the killing, but Barbara convinces him he had to do it to save their lives.

As the travellers sleep that night in the villa, Ian has the car crash dream again. He realises that he loves Barbara.

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Ian once lost someone he loved, Suzy, in a car crash, finding out about the event in a newspaper.

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

The television story The Romans begins with the TARDIS landing in 64 AD before cutting to scenes of its crew enjoying life in a villa. This story covers the initial landing and explains how the Doctor and his companions were provided with their holiday home.
The BBC Past Doctor Adventures novel Byzantium! gives a very different account of what happens after the TARDIS falls of the cliff. In fact, Byzantium! implies that the events of Romans Cutaway were actually a dream experienced by Ian on his way to Rome from Byzantium.
This story is a "pure historical" featuring no science fiction elements apart from the presence of the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, Vicki and the TARDIS.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

The TARDIS falls off a cliff after landing. (TV: The Rescue, The Romans)
Lucius' master is Flavius Giscard. (TV: The Romans)
The Doctor calls Ian "Chesterman" and "Chesterfield". (TV: The Daleks, The Edge of Destruction, et al)
Ian recalls killing Daleks and the Slyther. (TV: The Daleks, The Dalek Invasion of Earth)

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Short Trips short stories

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More Short Trips	Totem • Scientific Adviser • Missing, Part One: Business as Usual • Moon Graffiti • One Bad Apple • 64 Carlysle Street • The Eternity Contract • The Sow in Rut • Special Weapons • Honest Living • Dead Time • Romans Cutaway • Return of the Spiders • Hot Ice • uPVC • Good Companions • Missing, Part Two: Message in a Bottle • Femme Fatale

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Seven Deadly Sins	The Duke's Folly • That Which Went Away • Angel • Suitors, Inc. • The 57th • Telling Tales • Too Rich for My Blood • Seven Deadly Sins

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The Solar System	Mercury • Venus • Earth • Mars • Jupiter • Saturn • Uranus • Neptune • Pluto • Sedna

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Defining Patterns	Machine Time • The Time and Tide • Losing the Audience • One Card for the Curious • Séance, or Smoking is Highly Addictive, Don't Start • The Celestial Harmony Engine • Mutiny • Numb • Closing the Account • The Great Escapes • Loose Change • Lepidoptery for Beginners • One Step Forward, Two Steps Back • Homework • The Devil Like a Bear • Stanley • Twilight's End • The Book of My Life • Defining Patterns

The Quality of Leadership	From Little Acorns • One Fateful Knight • The Slave War • Goths and Robbers • Good Queen, Bad Queen, I Queen, You Queen • The Price of Conviction • God Send Me Well to Keep • Peaceable Kingdom • Rock Star • On a Pedestal • Clean-up on Aisle Two • The Spindle of Necessity • Epilogue

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How the Doctor Changed My Life	Homework • Change Management • Curiosity • Potential • Second Chances • Child's Play • Relativity • Outstanding Balance • The Last Thing You Ever See • The Shopping Trolleys of Doom • The Final Star • The Man on the Phone • The Monster in the Wardrobe • Suns and Mothers • Taking the Cure • Those Left Behind • Evitability • £436 • Time Shear • Running on Empty • Swamp of Horrors (1957) - Viewing Notes • Insider Dealing • The Andrew Invasion • Stolen Days • Lares Domestici

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Re:Collections	I Was a Monster!!! • Apocrypha Bipedium • Face-Painter • The Glass Princess • The Ruins of Heaven • The Thief of Sherwood • The Age of Ambition • The Dead Man's Story • Flashpoint • Thinking Warrior • All Our Christmases • Suitors, Inc. • How You Get There • Venus • The Lampblack Wars • Life After Queth • Checkpoint • The Avant Guardian • Museum Peace • Midnight in the Café of the Black Madonna • The Glarn Strategy • Dear Great Uncle Peter • Losing the Audience • The Spindle of Necessity • Lonely • Lares Domestici • Lost and Founded • The Fall of the Druids

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Summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

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Romans Cutaway (short story)

Summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

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